Page 25 of Wings of Death

“If it is only a suspicion, Father, wouldn’t it be worth clearing it up before things get out of hand? Could we send some angels to meet with them?”

He smiles at me. “You remind me so much of your mother. She was always trying to find a solution, always wanting to help everyone and ensure peace amongst the angels.”

I take my mother’s locket out from beneath my robes, holding it for him to see.

His brows furrow as he stares at it, recognition flashing in his features. “Where did you get that?”

I turn it over in my hands as I study his reaction. “It doesn’t matter. It was my mother’s though. I know that much.” I hesitate for a moment before I say the words I have battled with internally for most of my life. “I want to visit her quarters.”

The shift in the air is clear as his mood changes, and he raises his guard back up. “Why now? You have never wanted to before.”

I draw back at his harsh tone. “Because she is my mother, and it’s all I have left. I’m ready.”

He crosses the room to his desk, and then he opens a small drawer and pulls out a key. He stares at me for a moment before walking back over and holding the key out for me to take.

“Here,” he softly says. “This is the key to her quarters. It’s on the fifth floor, but I am sure you remember. You used to sneak up there when you were young, but you never went in.”

I tuck the locket away and take the key from him, swallowing back the lump in my throat as tears sting my eyes. “I remember,” I say, turning the key in my fingers before slipping it into my pocket. “Do you think that’s what’s really going on? That Zarquon is planning a war?”

He reaches out and strokes my arm. “I think?—”

There’s a knock at the door, interrupting his words, and Hethenos steps into the room. I turn away, quickly wiping my eyes.

My father immediately goes to her and then he takes her hand and brushes his lips against her golden skin. Her gaze stays on me, and I hold it.

“Hi, Zarla. What do we owe the pleasure?” she asks, practically spitting the words out and side-eying Harlum, as if she doesn’t understand what I could possibly be doing visiting my own father.

Careful to keep my distance, I cross the room and stop before them. We have never hugged before, and I know we never will. She made it clear that I don’t matter to her. She is always cold towards me and has never let me in, even when I was desperate for a mother. Lissian took on the role of my mother as best she could.

Hethenos’s blonde hair hangs in loose waves just below her shoulders, and she’s wearing a black, fitted, sleeveless gown with a plunging neckline. She stands with her hand on her hip, waiting for my response.

“I’m just leaving,” I say, giving her a tight-lipped smile as I move past out into the corridor.

I never understood my father’s affections for her. From what I learned about my mother, mostly from Lissian, Hethenos is the polar opposite of her. She’s cold-hearted, blunt, and nasty. Somehow she won over my father’s heart, and despite being the King, he practically worships her.

The door closes behind me, and I don’t bother looking back. I need to go to my mother’s quarters; I need to feel close to her, and just maybe I will find the answers I’m looking for while I’m there.

My chest tightens as I climb the stairs and make my way to the fifth floor. I haven’t visited this part of the castle in a long time, and every time the thought crosses my mind, a deep sadness overcomes me. So I shut this part of me out. I pretend this floor, her quarters, don’t exist. But the coping mechanism will only last so long. I know that much. Eventually, I know I will need to suck it up.

The walls are pale stone, the ceilings high, and each level stretches on farther than the eye can see. There are angels carved into the walls, depicting the Great War and many other milestones throughout our history. This castle is ancient. No one really knows when it was first built, as it has been passed down from King to King for generations.

Several keepers pass by me on the second floor, and they each seem surprised to see me. This is the floor where they live along with my father’s personal guards. I smile as I carry on by them and continue up the steps. When I reach the fifth floor, I pause. Originally the royal family lived on this floor as it was superior to be able to have a view overlooking some of the Kingdom. However, after my mother’s murder, my father moved us all to the first floor.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and sneeze as dust tickles my nose. The keepers haven’t been up here to clean since her death, at my father’s request. I think he, too, wants to pretend this floor doesn’t exist. It’s easier that way, for all of us.

I make my way down the enormously wide corridor that stretches down the centre of this floor. Doors line the cream walls, leading to the vast living quarters behind them, and the deep red carpet looks worn in places, due for replacement by the looks of it.

Although I haven’t been up here for years, I know which quarters were hers. She lived separately from my father, which was tradition when he had more than one wife. It’s common amongst the higher-class angel families for the male to have several wives, although I still find it gross.

I’m almost at her door when suddenly my chest tightens, and I struggle to take in a decent breath. I gasp as I fall to my knees, panic surging through my body.

It’s Kyle. He’s in danger.

Without further thought, I rush to the nearest windows and push them open. I dive out and release my wings as I soar up high, flying toward the gates. They open fast, and before I know it, I’m flying down to Earth, to Kyle.

My heart pounds in my chest as I play through possible scenarios of what is happening. The bond isn’t picking up much from him, certainly not fear, but I know something is wrong.

Finlay?I call through the mind link, but there’s no response. It’s just blank. Like I’m blocked out or something.What the hell?

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